


Alucard Gets Stuck in a Claw Machine/ Crane Game

by GlitterNyappyGacktRose



Series: Alucard Gets Stuck in a Claw Machine [1]
Category: Castlevania (Cartoon), 悪魔城ドラキュラ | Castlevania Series
Genre: Cute, Gen, Halloween, Ireland, Time Travel, Vampires
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-19
Updated: 2019-12-19
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:47:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,903
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21853957
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GlitterNyappyGacktRose/pseuds/GlitterNyappyGacktRose
Summary: Dracula accidentally moves the castle through time and ends up in the modern world. Surrounded by modern technology, there seems to be no limit to the challenges he could face. But who knew just how much trouble a claw machine could cause...
Relationships: Dracula/Lisa (Castlevania)
Series: Alucard Gets Stuck in a Claw Machine [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1576252
Kudos: 29





	Alucard Gets Stuck in a Claw Machine/ Crane Game

“For the last time, I wouldn’t be so insistent on this if I wasn’t concerned. I really think it would be best if we moved the castle, even just for a little while,” sighed Dracula.

“And likewise, I constantly have to tell you that you worry too much,” smiled Lisa, folding her arms with a smile on her face. “It’s not unusual for the members of the church to gossip. And they don’t seem particularly happy when women are in positions of power, so I’m not surprised that there are whispers about me.”

“Lisa… I have seen what these people are capable of. The last thing I would want is for Alucard to grow up without his mother. And… I couldn’t imagine living in this world without you.”

With that, Dracula fixed his gaze on the floor, his brow furrowed with worry. Lisa stood on her toes and patted him on the shoulder. Despite his somewhat intimidating appearance, she could always see just how much she and Alucard meant to him. Even though she felt that he was overreacting, she truly didn’t want to make him worry so much. Besides, the local people would be able to survive without her for a short time.

“Alright, Vladdy Daddy,” she giggled. “Let’s move the castle for a little bit. I wouldn’t mind a change of scenery.”

“Don’t call me that in front of Alucard,” whispered Dracula urgently, glancing over at their four-year old son who was currently engrossed in the picture he was drawing.

“Oh right, sorry,” she giggled, before turning to her son. “Alucard, why don’t you go with Daddy? He’s going to move the castle and he needs your help.”

Alucard, who had never before been allowed to watch his father move the castle, eagerly jumped to his feet, causing several crayons to roll across the cold stone floor.

“I wanna go! I wanna go!” he shouted happily, reaching his tiny little hands towards his father. With a smile, Dracula picked him up and placed him carefully on his shoulders before taking him to a hidden room filled with various gears. With Alucard still on his shoulders, he came to a halt in front of the core: an object that looked like a large dice with several more sides than normal. However, just as he was focusing his energy, Alucard reached up and pulled a low-hanging gear from the wall.

“Alucard, don’t-"

But he was too late. Without warning, the castle began to shake so violently that it seemed as though it could collapse at any moment, Alucard let out a little “uh oh” as he realised that he had touched something he shouldn’t have. There was a blinding flash of blue light. And then the castle was still. For a moment, there was just silence. And then Alucard began to cry.

“Daddy, I’m sorry! Is the castle broken?”

“Alucard, Vlad, are you ok?”

Lisa burst through the door. Upon spotting Alucard, she whisked him up into her arms and began to comfort him, before giving her husband a concerned look.

“Vlad, what happened? Where are we?”

“Honestly, I’m not sure, but-"

“Daddy, I’m sorry!”

“It’s ok, Alucard. It’s not your fault.”

Dracula gave his son a reassuring pat on the head. Together, the three of them headed outside to find themselves in the middle of a huge green field, surrounded by hundreds of sheep. Despite it not even being five in the evening, the sky was dark. They walked for a few moments before coming across a concrete road unlike anything they had seen before. But there was were so many more shocking things in store for them. Lisa let out a gasp, before tugging on her husband’s arm.

“Vlad, look at that!”

Speeding towards them was, in their eyes, some kind of mechanised horseless carriage that seemed to be made of metal. Dracula tried to hold his wife back, instantly distrusting the strange machine. But Lisa shook her head and pointed at the sign on the front.

“Look, it says that it’s a “free bus”. I can’t read the second language on it, but the first seems to be English. Let’s get on and see where it takes us!”

Before Dracula had a chance to protest, the _bus_ had skidded to a stop and his wife, with their son in her arms, had already stepped on. Deciding it would be best to stay close and protect them, Dracula followed. The three sat in the back.

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” asked Lisa with a smile. Dracula nodded, his expression stern.

“Yes… I believe this time, the castle has not only jumped through space, but also through time.”

And so, the three stared out the window at the modern, albeit countryside scenery that was unfolding before them. Lisa let out little gasps of amazement, often directing Dracula’s attention to the impressive things that caught her eye. Alucard let out a little giggle every time he saw another sheep, which meant that he was giggling almost constantly. No matter how many he saw, they still seemed funny to him. Eventually, the _bus_ came to a halt, letting them off at a small _shopping centre_.

Dracula turned to his wife to find that she was no longer beside him. Already she had rushed over to a building that had caught her eye. The sign on the building said _Pharmacist_ in faded letters.

“Vlad, I don’t believe this,” she gasped. “This place is full of medicine! I don’t know what year we are in, but can you imagine how much I could learn from this?”

“Mummy, I want to go over there!” screeched Alucard, struggling in her arms as he pointed at a large box with colourful flashing lights.

“Can you take care of Alucard?” asked Lisa, putting him down on the ground without taking her eyes off the window of the _pharmacy_. I want to discuss medicine with the people in here.”

Dracula wanted to express his desire to accompany her. However, he didn’t even have the chance to speak as, like a rocket, Alucard began running toward the box as fast as his little legs would carry him. Within seconds, Dracula had caught up and lifted his son into his arms. However, the damage was already done.

“Daaaaaaaad, I want the fox!!!!!!!”

Dracula followed his son’s gaze and realised that there was a plush fox teddy, along with several other animals, inside this strange box. The words _claw machine_ were written on the top. The box started to play music as soon as they drew close. Never in all his years had Dracula seen such a strange box. There was a metal claw inside, dangling above a vertical chute that was blocked off from the outside by a small door. It seemed that the aim of this game was to get the prizes into the chute using the metal claw. But how could he get the claw to move?”

“Eamon, say hello to the vampire.”

It was at that moment that Dracula realised that they were no longer alone. He spun around to find that it was a man who had spoken, a young boy hiding behind his legs. The child, although clearly human, was wearing an outfit that was not too different from what Alucard was wearing, albeit it made of cheaper materials. The young boy peeked out and Dracula and gave him a quick wave with a chocolate-covered hand. Then, he took a small coin from his father and rushed over to the machine, his red cape billowing behind him. He eagerly crammed the coin into a slot which was under a sign that said _€1_. The boy pressed the buttons which had arrows on them, and the claw instantly leapt to life. It glided across the top of the box before coming to a sudden halt. The claw lowered and clasped around a brown teddy bear. At first, it seemed that the boy had won the game. But the teddy bear quickly fell from the claw’s grasp.

“Ah well, better luck next time, Eamon. Come on, time to go home.”

Dracula stared in a stunned silence as he watched the man pick up the child. He had no idea how far in time they had travelled, but they seemed to have reached an era where humans were no longer afraid of vampires. Did they know who he was, and the reputation he carried? Had humans and vampires formed some kind of alliance? The questions kept forming in his mind, but, with a jolt, he realised he had no time to ask them all as the man had already started walking away.

“Where do I get the coins for this game?” he blurted out, instantly cursing himself. Of all the questions, he had to ask that one.

The man stopped and gave Dracula a strange look. At first, Dracula assumed that he had made a mistake in speaking to the man in English. However, it soon became clear that the lack of understanding was not due to language.

“Um, I guess you could get them to change a note for you in the supermarket?” answered the man in a way that made it sound as though he was also asking a question. “Anyway… happy Halloween!”

And with that, the man hurried off with his son. Dracula pondered following him to ask him more, but Alucard had already started whining about the fox. With a sigh, Dracula headed inside the _supermarket_ , which turned out to be a building that was stuffed full of all kinds food. He would have been quite impressed with it had he not been so distracted.

“Excuse me, I need coins for the… _claw machine_ outside,” explained Dracula, approaching a girl who looked to be no older than sixteen who was standing behind a counter. He set Alucard down and rummaged through his pockets, before taking out a small piece of gold and placing it in her hand. “How many coins can I get for this piece of gold?”

The girl seemed reluctant at first, but upon hearing the word gold, her eyes lit up. She carefully examined the piece of gold before responding.

“Um… would twenty be enough?” she asked hopefully, glancing around before slipping the gold into her pocket.

Dracula had no idea how much gold was worth in this era of time, nor how much these coins were worth. But he didn’t have time to figure it out. He nodded, and the girl began piling the coins into his outstretched hand. When she’d finished, he pocketed them.

“Alright, Alucard, let’s-"

But Alucard was nowhere to be found. In the short time that he had been talking to the woman, he had seemingly vanished. Panicking, Dracula began to dash around the _supermarket_. But there was no sign of him. Just as he was running outside to try and find Lisa to tell her, something caught his eye. The fox that Alucard had wanted so badly was _moving_. Dracula pressed his face against the glass of the _claw machine_. The bottom fell out of his stomach when he realised that Alucard was inside, lying amongst the toys with the fox in his tiny hands.

“Alucard!” screamed Dracula, banging on the glass. But Alucard, who was delighted to finally have the fox, completely ignored him. Dracula pushed open the door at the bottom of the chute. But to his horror, the open door sealed the chute shut when he did. How on earth was he going to get his son back?

“Alucard, turn into a bat. A BAT!”

In desperation, Dracula started flapping his arms rapidly in the hope that Alucard would see him and get the message. However, he didn’t realise that his shouts had drawn the attention of several people, who were now staring in utter bemusement at the man in the vampire “costume” who was shouting in old-style Romanian and flapping his arms like a maniac.

There were no other options. He couldn’t afford to draw any more unwanted attention to himself. He had one chance… no… twenty. Dracula took a deep breath before sliding one of the coins into the slot. Just like the young boy had done before him, Dracula pressed the buttons with the arrows, doing his best to avoid the chocolate that the child had left behind. However, since the game was totally new to him, his aim was completely off. The claw snapped shut around a plush pink pony, before dropping it back down. But Dracula didn’t want to win a pony. He needed to win Alucard.

One chance down, nineteen more to go.

“Hold on, Alucard, I’m going to save you!”

The next time Dracula was a little more successful. The claw managed to grasp Alucard, but unfortunately it didn’t even move him an inch. However, that was enough to catch Alucard’s attention. He let out a squeal of excitement and stood up, his eyes moving between the claw and his father.

“Good, Alucard!” shouted Dracula, tapping on the glass once more. “Now, grab the claw!”

But Alucard was no longer listening. As the claw drew closer to him once more, he picked up a stuffed bear from beside him and hurled it at the claw. For a four-year old, his aim was shockingly accurate. The bear collided with the claw with such force that the claw almost lay horizontal for a split second, which resulted in it falling far from its target.

“Alucard, no!"

Dracula’s attempts to calm Alucard down were futile. Once he got tired of throwing toys at the claw, he began to dance and jump around, occasionally tripping and falling amongst the toys. This made it almost impossible to get the claw close to him. Eventually, Dracula only had three coins left. His hands shaking, he directed the claw towards Alucard. This time Alucard, who seemed a little worn out, followed the claw with his eyes as he rested atop a mountain of toys. He cocked his head to the side with curiosity as the claw began to lower and reached for it with his free hand. Although unsuccessful once again, Dracula saw a glimmer of hope.

“Very good, Alucard!” he praised in a loud voice, making sure Alucard could see his big smile. “Now, hold onto the claw. Hold on-"

Alucard jumped up and gave an enthusiastic nod. This new “game” seemed to be giving him a fresh burst of energy. He watched the claw like a hawk, his little body doing a jig of anticipation. And once the claw dropped, Alucard grabbed his as tightly as he could with his free hand. At first, it seemed as thought the plan had worked. However, the claws in claw machines are not built to be able to carry the weight of a child. For a few seconds, the claw seemed to be struggling. And then, with a loud snapping sound, the claw tumbled down beside Alucard, the spring like mechanism stretched out of shape. There was a moment of silence as Dracula took in the situation, doing his best to stay calm as he tried to figure out a way he could shatter the glass without harming his son. However, his train of thought was interrupted by a sudden shrill alarm sound.

“I don’t believe it, is it broken again? Give me a second.”

Dracula spun around to spot a balding man who looked to be at least forty wander into the _supermarket_ before returning minutes later, a key in hand. Dracula’s jaw dropped as he watched the man open the glass part with ease and press a button on the inside, causing the alarm to fall silent.

“Hang on, is this your kid?” frowned the man, reaching inside the machine and pulling a giggling Alucard out. The fox was clasped firmly to his chest.

“Yes, thank you,” sighed Dracula. A wave of exhaustion hit him as he took his son back into his arms. He trudged back over to the _pharmacy_ with perfect timing, since Lisa had just closed the door behind her.

“Alucard, did you have fun?” she beamed, taking him from Dracula. “Hang on, is that a fox? Don’t you already have a fox at home?”

But Alucard didn’t seem to be listening, he was too busy telling his new stuffed friend all about the adventures his other stuffed animals had been on. Lisa just smiled, and together the tree headed towards the _bus_ that had just arrived.

“You’re not going to believe how much useful information I’ve discovered!” said Lisa enthusiastically as they clambered into the back seat. “The pharmacist was able to answer all my questions, and I took so many notes. Just think of how many people I can help with this knowledge! …You will be able to get us back to our time, won’t you?”

“Leave it to me, my darling,” responded Dracula. He was delighted that Lisa had discovered so much, and it wouldn’t take him too long to figure out how to move the castle back. However, he couldn’t focus on what she was saying as he was struck by a sudden thought. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the remaining coin that he hadn’t used. Embedded on the back was an image of a harp, along with some words. Dracula moved the coin closer so he could make them out.

ÉIRE 2009


End file.
